Transcendental Meditation, Stress and the Brain

The Transcendental Meditation technique exercises the critical prefrontal cortex of the brain—to make the brain healthier, more integrated, and better able to function together as a whole.

How stress damages the brain

Stress, pressure, fatigue, poor diet, alcohol, and drugs damage neural connections between the brain's prefrontal cortex—or "CEO"—and the rest of the brain. When you are overtired or under intense mental or physical stress, the brain bypasses its "higher," more evolved, rational frontal executive circuits. Consequently, you respond to daily demands without thinking; you make impulsive, shortsighted decisions. When the CEO goes "offline," strong emotions, such as fear and anger, take over, adversely coloring your view of the world.

How TM optimizes the brain

The stress-reducing, nonreligious Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique provides the experience of "restful alertness," which reduces stress, strengthens communication between the brain's prefrontal cortex and different areas of the brain, and develops total brain functioning. As a result, the Transcendental Meditation practitioner displays stronger executive functions, with more purposeful thinking and farsighted decision-making. When the CEO is fully "online," the emotional response to the world is more balanced and appropriate.